Pacific Voyaging Renaissance
By Accident or Design?
Was Polynesia settled by windblown castaways or
systematically colonized by bold and courageous explorers?
In the 1960s debate raged over the accidental versus
purposeful settlement of Polynesia. Basic knowledge of how
Polynesian voyaging canoes sailed and the feasibility of
traditional navigation methods was needed.
A series of experiments demonstrated the superb engineering
and navigational abilities of the ancient Polynesians, putting
to rest any doubts.
- David Lewis tested traditional Polynesian navigation
techniques and sailed his modern catamaran 2,000
nautical miles from Tahiti to Aotearoa (New Zealand)
in 1965. He used only the stars, sun, and ocean swells.
- At the same time, anthropologist Ben Finney was
exploring the windward sailing abilities of traditional
double-hull canoes with the Nalehia, a replica of
Kamehameha III's royal canoe.
- Computer simulations in the 1970s proved that the
settlement of Polynesia by accidental drift was highly
unlikely.
- In 1973, Ben Finney, racing canoe paddler Tommy
Holmes, and artist Herb Kane founded the Polynesian
Voyaging Society to build a traditional voyaging vessel,
Hokule`a.
The 1995 Voyage of Hawai`iloa
Front Gallery of the Hawai`iloa Exhibit
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Revised on August 29, 1996 by mcb